Former graphic designer, born 1981 in Bogotá. I was part of equinoXio digital magazine (in Spanish) as a deputy editor. I'm also a translator for Global Voices en Español.
Latest posts by Julián Ortega Martínez
Bogotá Mayor Dismissed, Barred from Politics Over Imperfect Trash Collection
Colombia's Inspector General dismissed Bogota's Mayor Gustavo Petro and banned him from public office for 15 years, alleging Petro's mismanagement of a new public rubbish collection system.
Colombia: A Long Way to Peace?
Despite ongoing peace talks, Colombia refused to recognize the most recent ceasefire declared by the FARC and launched an airstrike on New Year's day. Meanwhile, the deadline for brokering a peace agreement approaches.
Colombia: How Attacks on Energy Infrastructure Affects Citizens
A rise in the number of attacks on Colombia’s energy infrastructure by guerrilla groups FARC and ELN have had a profound impact on the lives of many Colombians.
Colombia: The Conflicting Relationship With ‘The Public’
After riots at the campus of the National University of Colombia in Bogotá last week, some students proposed [es] to paint the buildings white to express their rejection of vandalism, prompting a debate [es] about the issue. Andrés Villaveces writes [es] about this and the “conflicting relationship” of most Bogotanos...
The Gloomy Years of Colombian Television
Since last May [es], ‘pink sauce’ from popular gossip website La Fiscalía has been posting a series on “the gloomy years of Colombian television” [es], where he reviews, tongue-in-cheek and year by year between 1992 and 2012, the most popular mainstream medium in the country. Readers share their memories of...
Colombians Cautiously Optimistic About Peace Talks with FARC
The Colombian government is planning its first set of negotiations with FARC in a decade. While many Colombian bloggers welcome this decision, others do not see the negotiations leading to the end of decades of violence and criminal activities.
Colombia: Chronicling a Mugging
Santiago Ardila Reyes blogs [es] about the mugging he suffered in front of his house for his smartphone, describes how he feels about it, and wonders about the causes of the increasing reports of muggings and murders in Colombia.
Colombia: Political Blog ‘Atrabilioso’ Closes Down
After 7 years and thousands of posts by several contributors, the political blog Atrabilioso, managed by journalist Jaime Restrepo Vásquez, closed last August 31. The blog's contributors were critics of President Juan Manuel Santos‘ administration and staunch supporters of former President Álvaro Uribe.
The Nazi Past of the Father of Colombian Anthropology
Cristina Vélez posts [es] her thoughts about “Nazi intellectuals” in her blog after it was revealed [es], at an academic Congress in Vienna, that Austrian-born Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff (1912-1994), considered the “father of Colombian anthropology,” had been a member of the Nazi party and the SS in Germany before World War...
Colombians Celebrate Unexpected Silver Medal
On Saturday, July 28, Rigoberto Urán became the first Colombian to win a medal in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. He finished second at the men's road race final, behind veteran cyclist Aleksandr Vinokurov from Kazakhstan.
Colombia: Locals Concerned Over Media's Slant on Cauca Conflict
The indigenous people of the Cauca department, in southwestern Colombia, are concerned that the media is misrepresenting their struggle to expel legal and illegal armed groups from their territory. Netizens weigh in on the media's coverage of this current conflict.
Colombia: Scientific Community Concerned Over Resignation of Top Official
The resignation of Jaime Restrepo Cuartas, director of the Administrative Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Colciencias, has raised concern among the scientific community about the future of Colciencias (the main source of funding for most Colombian scientists) and the future of research in general in the country.
Colombia: Cauca Indigenous Demand Army and Guerrillas Leave Their Territories
In an open letter [es, fr], the Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca (ACIN), in south western Colombia, demanded that “groups and legal and illegal armies” leave their territories, specifically the town of Toribío, which is routinely attacked by the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) [es]. The indigenous...
Colombia: Concern About Contamination at Santa Marta Bay
José D. Pacheco M., of the blog Tras la cola de la rata, writes [es] about a study [es] and a report [pdf, es] on the contamination of the bay of Santa Marta, an important tourist destination in the Colombian Caribbean, because of the “poor handling and inadequate control of...
Colombia: ‘Higgsteria’ in Medellín
After the announcement by CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) last week about the search of the Higgs’ boson, Helena Cortés writes [es] about a conference held at the Medellín Planetarium with local scientists explaining the news, and compiles tweets with “accurate and inaccurate comments” about the ‘Higgsteria’.
Colombia: Outrage at Celebrity for Mocking Fat Women
A column [es] written by TV celebrity Alejandra Azcárate [es] for women's magazine Aló, where she writes tongue-in-cheek about “the 7 advantages of being [a] fat [woman]”, prompted harsh reactions in Colombian social media this week. Blog posts parodying [es] the ‘7 advantages‘ [es] format or replying [es]to her text...
Colombia: One Night in a Cell
In his blog La Ventana, Juan Batallas publishes a two-part post about one night he spent in a cell at an “immediate reaction unit” (unidad de reacción inmediata, URI, set up by the Attorney General's Office [es]). In the first part [es] he tells the story of his confinement and...
Colombia: Interview with Director of Pablo Escobar TV Biopic Series
Journalist Carolina Ruiz Giraldo publishes an interview [es] with Carlos Moreno, director of Escobar, el patrón del mal (“Escobar, the drug lord”), a controversial TV series broadcast since late May with high ratings. Moreno explains which parts of the biopic have been fictionalized and why some characters based on real...
Colombia: Eruption of Nevado del Ruiz Volcano
President Juan Manuel Santos confirmed on Twitter [es] the eruption (of ashes) of Nevado del Ruiz volcano (in western central Colombia), which occurred [es] Saturday June 30 at 17:40 (22:40 UTC). Social media users initially reported apparent calm in Manizales, the closest city to the volcano, where there is a...
Colombia: Accessing the Internet in Germany
Ana María Vallejo, a Colombian studying in Germany, has written a two-part series (1, 2) [es] on her experience accessing the Internet in that country. She compares it with her experience in Colombia and describes the restrictions for accessing some content there.
Colombia: When the Dead Belong to the Upper-Class
At Hoja Blanca, Lucas Urdaneta refers to the so-called Colmenares Case (the murder of a student of the University of the Andes which has received a lot of media coverage in Colombia), and wonders [es] what happens when victims don't belong to the privileged classes. He adds that, given the...
